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| - The head of Burundi's election commission appealed for patience on Thursday as ballots were collected and tallied following a tense poll to decide who will replace long-serving leader Pierre Nkurunziza. Burundians voted Wednesday to elect their president, lawmakers and local officials in a poll marked by allegations of fraud and conducted with scant attention paid to the coronavirus pandemic. The previous election in 2015 sparked violence that left 1,200 dead and saw at least 400,000 flee the country. Nkurunziza won a disputed third term in 2015, but did not contest the latest race, bringing the curtain down on 15 often-turbulent years in power. More than five million voters were asked to choose between Nkurunziza's hand-picked heir, 52-year-old general Evariste Ndayishimiye, the main opposition competitor Agathon Rwasa, and five other candidates. The chairman of Burundi's National Independent Electoral Commission urged those "getting impatient" to be calm, saying the process of counting all the votes would take several days, and results would be announced Monday or Tuesday. The results from more than 3,800 polling stations across Burundi had been counted and the ballot boxes were being transported to local election commission centres for collection and tallying. "This will take time," said commission chairman Pierre-Claver Kazihise, adding they would announce the results of the presidential, parliamentary and local election at the same time. He warned against reading into results being posted online. On Thursday, popular social media platforms in Burundi remained down, after being offline since election day except to those using virtual private networks. Burundi has not imposed any movement restrictions on its 11 million people over the coronavirus outbreak, and voters waited in long lines to cast their ballot with no social distancing observed. After a campaign marked by violence, the election was generally calm. However Rwasa's National Council for Liberty (CNL) said several of its officials were arrested and harassed, and alleged fraud. CNL spokesman Therence Manirambona told AFP that there had been incidents of proxy voting, people voting multiple times and the voting cards of absent voters being redistributed to ruling party electors. He also denounced "the expulsion of our agents in polling stations during the vote and counting and the arbitrary arrests of more than 200 agents and supporters of the CNL on false charges". The election commission has yet to respond to the charges. However Pierre Nkurikiye, the spokesman for Burundi's public security ministry, in turn accused members of the CNL of attempted fraud, confirming some of their members were arrested for minor incidents. Among reactions to the vote, Tibor Nagy, the US assistant secretary of state for Africa, said he saw hope for better ties with Burundi and praised the elections as an improvement from the violence in 2015. "It's no secret, our relations with Burundi have not been what I would call cordial at all," Nagy told reporters. "I'm optimistic about the potential for broad progress in the US-Burundi relationship following these elections," he added. "One good point is that these elections are in no way as violent or as problematic as the elections were in 2015." Belgian Foreign Minister Philippe Goffin issued a statement praising Burundians who took part in the electoral process, "some at the risk of their lives or their physical integrity." Relations between Burundi and its former colonial power -- also its main donor before sanctions were imposed following the 2015 crisis -- have been strained in recent years. Belgium called on Burundi politicians "to create the conditions for the peaceful management of the post-electoral phase which respects the will of each voter." bur/ri/dl
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